A girl inexperienced in fighting to cover and killing-machine downed in the first seconds of the fight. It did not look good. But sed was away for now and all she could do now was buy time and . . . stand together. Lorn had been right indeed, it was all they had left to do. Stand together now.

"Now!" She yelled, her gun before her body and her feet speeding her towards Lorn with quick steps. She did not shoot, trying to attract as little attention as possible. To her left The Count was joining the cover-fire, but after two more shots his gun simply clicked ineffectivly. "Out." He shouted and took cover again, hissing in frustration at his empty gun.

The attackers in their Mandaloirian armor moved forward, staying in cover, never revealing too much of themselves. And then something happened . . .

Suddenly a might wave seemed to pass through the woods into their direction, going through tree as if they did not exist, throwing them back and out of cover. Anora waited no second, as she stepped over Lorn who had obviously been responsible for this and took one good aimed shot as the next Mandalorian in sight. One to the chest and one to the head. Both shots hit the surprised soldiers and he collapsed. checking cece kept on giving them hell so they kept their heads down she grabbed down and found an unconscious Lorn, his lightsaber had slipped from his hand. Anora knew the difference between a Jedi with his weapon and without and grabbed it first, her eyes and gun on the woods at all times. She clipped it to her belt and then grabbed the unconscious body of Lorn, to drag it after herself into the next solid cover. The Mandalorian´s did not fire anymore. No blaster-bolts hurled towards them through the air.

"Hold fire!" She shouted over to Cece and leaned against the might tree that had collapsed in the firefight. "They have retreated."

For now, she added in her mind. Waiting until we have lost more people to the wounds or move. These guys were patient, well-organised and perfectly trained. They had scattered their group and taken out the two most powerful fighters immediately. That Anora and the girl were alive had been pure luck.

She watched them die. Safely hidden in the highest tree she had found, she watched and sighed in frustration. The Mandalorians were obviously in ab etter position and had a plan, while they others were one by one picked apart. Lorn tried to arrange a battle order, he made good use of her present, actually. Well, it had not been given to him to make survival easier. Only to equal the chances. But he had not lost his edge with the blade, certainly. he had grown soft regarind his fellow survivors, though. Covering them, while he could have killed these warriors, although only when sacrificing his own.

A fool.

The smartest, most wicked and dangerous mind she had ever known had become an utter fool. Weaknesses the force did not forgive. That was confirmed, when the shot hit him. The girl had ripped a whole into what little line they had. The Huntress had saved her, but not covered Lorn. And now they were breaking apart. Zelia only watched it from the orner of her eyes. He attention was on her true victim. And the reptile made his way towards the woods with the Kid.

The Kid. Oh yeah, the Kid. Why hadn´t she realized that earlier? Whose osn was it? Or had his parents died in the crash? What did it matter.

With a quick move she leaped down the tree, making sure she did so unseen and then began to circle the battlefield to avoid any contact. The Doctor. She was tracking him now.

As quick as the ambush had started, it ended. The Mandalorians were simply gone. As if they had never attacked. Only the dead body of one of their own was left to proof they had ever been there. The Count was the first to leave cover. "Lisa, have a look at Lorn." He said and stomped towards the dead Mandalorian. Quickyl he grabbed the man´s rifle and searched his body, only to produce another gun a second later.

Lisa was next to Anora and looked at the pale and unconscious Lorn. The shot had peirced his side and Lisa carefully rised what was left of his overall, where it had hit him.Then she produced the only Medipack they had left. The other two had been with the Doctor . . .

The throwing blade of Meset hi tone oft he leaping beasts midair, but a second took his place and ripped the Weequay of his feet, positioning itself on him and slowly lowering his eyeless face with the huge teethed mouth to bite his head.

The third had Bronwyyn pinned down before her scream had fully escaped her mouth. Screaming did not keep them at bay, obviously. Hissing it lowered it´s head and with a painful snap, it bit into her arm.

Now more were coming. A pack, hunting it´s prey.
They kept away from the fire though, trying to drag away their two victims from the burning sensation.

Han and Eliza heard a symphony of noises now. An explosion, shots, many shots and then roars. They were coming from the other side, from their Camp. And a third. This one came from their left and it sounded like rocks . . . rocks had collapsed.
The jungle was suddenly alive in the morning sun, as if it had woken up. And it sounded kinda angry.

The words were all he said and the Doctor saw a movement from his eyes, as if he had been directed at it. A single Mandalorian had left his team. Probably to cut off the retreat for the group. He was dangerously nearby and Sed had begun crying in his arms.

Cece was doing her best, to do what the woman Anora had asked of her. Any body part that didnt belong to the survivors, she shot at, doing her best to keep those nasty hunters pinned down. They had hurt Lorn! How could they? I mean, she knew HOW, but still. It must be because there are so many of them. He had faced down nastier enemies before. But if the woman was willing to help save him, Cece didnt care. She kept firing.

But then Cece felt something. She had no idea what it was. But suddenly the shooters seemed to go flying backwards. What was that?! But whatever it was, seemed to have worked. Anora had reached Lorn, who didnt seem to be moving now. Anora grabbed him, and they disappeared under cover.

"Hold fire!" Cece heard Anora shout aloud. "They have retreated."

Retreated? Cece immediately lowered her weapon, and looked about. Indeed, no blaster bolts came whizzing by them. It was spooky quiet. They must have had something happen to them to make them retreat. After a heartbeat She started to move forward but froze, when she saw the Count moving quickly forward. The twilek was behind him. So they had survived too. She heard him tell Liza to take a look at Lorn. Cece wished she could help Lorn. But she only knew basic first aid, and having no clue how bad Lorn was hurt, she felt that she would be more a hinderance than a help. So she did the only thing she knew at the moment. Keep an eye out for any other trouble. She noticed that the Count seemed to have found something. That was good. She kept a careful lookout, while the others moved to Lorn.

Cece didnt want to die. But she wished the shot would have hit her, instead of Lorn. Maybe the others would have gotten away. Maybe not. But with Lorn around, they had a better chance. Elois said she was a Force sensative. Sure didnt feel like it. She didnt have any of the neat stuff that Lorn or Zelia seemed to have. She coudlnt do anything. Except maybe talk to ghosts. And Cece didnt want to see Lorn's ghost anytime soon. She trembled, not looking over towards the group that was working on Lorn. No.. she kept her eyes glued on the forest. Her own arm hurt still, but she said nothing. It was just a brush. She looked at the hole in her new poncho. It could have been her, just as easily.

How.she.HATED.this.place. *sigh* She blew out a long stream of air. It took far too much to stay mad. And staying mad and angry didnt seem to do anything, except cause more problems. And it made her tummy hurt. She pushed it away. She remembered what Lorn had said about when he had touched the Force. It was like being connected to everything around you. She would probably never get that lucky to feel it. She pulled the hood of her poncho up over her head, trying her best not to cry.

She stayed silent. She looked up, and then quickly scampered up a tree, to get a better view around them. She didnt go up too high, she wanted to keep as much cover in front of her as she could. But maybe she could get a better view of where they were at.

ooc: Yes. Han is in the center. Maybe if you really concentrate you can hear rumbling rocks far away. But certainly not the Beasts. On top, you just had a grenade explode nearby so all your hearing might not be the best . . . but in SW such realism can be put back to the second line, of course.

The count did a good search of the Mandalorian. At least he seemed to have had some sort of military training. They were certainly running low on ammo by now. "Check your guns. How many shots does everybody have be now?" She checked her own with a quick glance. she had not fired that many shots if she recalled right, but with this kind of firefight going on, she would run out of ammo in the second round, certainly.

Before her brain could register the number, she turned to Lisa again. The Twi´lek obviously wasn´t a pleasure-slave, was she? No, there was certainly more to her. "Okay, skip the whole part where you tell me he lost blood and he needs to rest. We both know he won´t have a chance to rest anytime soon. Just tell me . . . WILL HE MAKE IT?"

"He got a Westar-34 on him, no shot fired. Full powerpack of twenty shots and I believe this here is an Blastech A280, rebellions weapon of choice. 36 of his 70 shots in the powerpack, another two packs of ammo. If they all got that much ammo, we´re in trouble, I´d say." Looking up to Anora he sighed. "Maybe you should have that one. Guess you´re our best shot." He slowly walked over and gave her a look. Then he shifted down to Lorn handing the woman next to him the rifle.

Lisa sighed and injected a painkiller into Lorn. Then she raised her head to answer Anora´s question. It was a small gesture, barely preceivable if you were not waiting for it. But it contained all the terror, grief and sadness of that delicate Twi´lek girl. She slightly shook her had and lowered her eyes, as if it was her mistake he was about to die.

Cece sat staring into the jungle when she heard Anora comment..."Check your guns. How many shots does everybody have be now?" That was a good question. It took a bit, but after a few moments, Cece found what she was looking for.

17.

Not a lot against a group of armed murders. Not at all. But she did have something else. Something she coudlnt use. But maybe the others could...

Cece jumped down from the tree she had been in. As she walked towards the others, she heard Anora next question..this time aimed towards the twi'lek. "Okay, skip the whole part where you tell me he lost blood and he needs to rest. We both know he won´t have a chance to rest anytime soon. Just tell me . . . WILL HE MAKE IT?"

Cece didnt hear what the count was rattling off. She was focused on the Twi'lek's response. She had just made it to the group when she saw the woman slightly shook her had and lowered her eyes. If it had been good news, she would have said so.

NO! Cece's mind went numb. She had to be wrong. She HAD to be!

Cece dropped down to her knees next to Lorn's head. Lorn was supposed to be ok! What good was having this supposed Force thing, if she could do NOTHING to help anyone?!! She wanted ...

It didnt matter what she wanted. The only person on the whole entire cursed planet who had given even a thought about her, was dying, and she could do nothing about it.

She lost it.

Cece stayed silent, but her entire body shook violently as she started crying. She didnt care anymore. She had lost far too many friends lately. If she could save him, she would. But it seemed like she could not. She tried to think if she had ANYTHING on her that could help. She had nothing. She suddenly remembered IT's comment, the last time it had talked to her. "...a recent wreck. With a working med-bay....." She pushed the words away, violently shaking her head. She didnt think Lorn would make it. She had no idea where the ship was even located. Besides, she knew... KNEW that if IT led her there, it was only because it was a trap. A lie. No, it was better to not think of that.

So.. was this it?

She didnt care. She craddled Lorn's head, wishing she could do ... something. ANYTHING!

"I've got a powerpack." she stated flatly, not looking up. "Got tools found on a wreck. Need maybe some wire, few other pieces. But might, be able to power up a few weapons.." she added, before she closed her eyes, as she continue to cradle Lorn's head.

"Dammit." She spit out and turned. but then she saw the girl cry. She had known this man for a few days and she felt so bad about him dying? Anora wanted to declare her a fool, but she could not help but be jealous at the young woman. She missed having such emotions. She really missed those. "I am sorry." She just said, as rthe girl took Lorn into her arms. Clearing her throat she ignored the possibility of some tech-trickery. They had no time for any of this. She had to move them and she had to catch up with her boy.

"We move back to the hills. We picked that spot because it was easy to defend and that´s still true, I suppose."

She took the rifrle, checked it and inserted a full clip, pulling the other two powerpacks into her belt. "Cece, right? You and Lisa help Lorn. The Count and I make sure we don´t get jumped again." She put her hand on the girls shoulder and sighed. "He is a Jedi, the Twi´lek has no idea what a Jedi can survive, okay?"

Anora had shot Jedi. She knew how damned hard they were to kill, indeed.

"Wake him up. We need every help we can get, even his." Anora said to Lisa. "And I am not actually sure if he does his healing Jedi trick when he is asleep." She added and shrugged. Then she turned to make sure they were alone before leaving the cover.

"We move back to the hills. We picked that spot because it was easy to defend and that´s still true, I suppose." In the back of her mind, Cece could agree with her. Hills were a better spot to defend from. But unless they found a cave or something...

"Cece, right? You and Lisa help Lorn. The Count and I make sure we don´t get jumped again." She put her hand on the girls shoulder and sighed. "He is a Jedi, the Twi´lek has no idea what a Jedi can survive, okay?" Was that possible? Cece looked up with a nod. The woman had her attention now. "Ok." she simply stated, as she stood up. So, they were moving. She wondered where up in the hills they were going. And woudlnt the hunters move that way too? But everyone seemed to think this lady knew what she was doing. So, Cece would listen.

"Wake him up. We need every help we can get, even his." Anora said to Lisa. "And I am not actually sure if he does his healing Jedi trick when he is asleep."

Jedi healing trick?!!! Jedi had those? But Lorn said he wasnt a Jedi. But maybe.. he could heal himself? She moved her weapon slinging it to her side, so she could shoot from the hip if need be. She waited for Lisa to do, whatever it was she needed to do, so that they could get moving then. Cece would be counting shots right now. But right now, if there was a chance that Lorn could heal himself, she was gonna make sure he got it.

As it turned out, the blaster shots were just the beginning. The sound of discharging weapons was soon joined by a cacophony of inhuman roars. Judging by their location and the direction the wind was moving, the source of the roars had to be coming from their camp. Suddenly, Han was no longer worried about escape. Unlike the others running wild in the first group, he felt obligated to protect Eliza and the others that had opted to follow him into the wilderness. While he could never understand why, they had found it in themselves to trust him and now that was being threatened by some unknown foe.

Dropping the load of stormtrooper armor to allow himself to move faster, Han skid to a halt and quickly changed direction to re-trace his steps back to the camp. If Eliza had even acknowledged what was going on, he couldn't be sure, but in her fragile state, he was certain she would follow him regardless. As they moved, Han thought he heard yet another sound - the sound of rocks tumbling down a steep face - but that would have to wait. It could have been any number of things and right now, none of them could possibly be as important as the survival of his camp.

When they reached the clearing, Han noticed that the camp fire was still burning despite the sun overhead. The canopy was so thick in this area that it kept the entire area in a fair amount of shade and the flickering of the fire was casting long, ominous shadows over the entire space. With the way they moved, it seemed as if they had a mind of their own and when Han squinted to get a better look, his jaw dropped slightly at what he saw. They weren't shadows at all - they were large, hulking creatures...and they were hungry.Han dropped down behind the brush he had been hiding behind and ran a hand over his sweaty face.

"Great," he grumbled under his breath, looking towards Eliza for support, but of course, not getting any. How was he supposed to handle that many creatures by himself...and without a blaster? Glancing back at the clearing, he started to survey the area for something - anything - that could help him diffuse the situation. That's when he noticed that the creatures were dragging Bronwyyn and the Weequay away. But it was more than that...they weren't just dragging them away from the camp site, they were dragging them away from the fire. The fire. They were afraid of the fire! Han smiled.

"Stay here," he ordered Eliza in a stern voice. He reiterated his point by lifting his index finger into her face. "And stay down. I got an idea." He grabbed a fairly large branch that had fallen from a nearby tree and rose quietly to his feet.

With his body bent at the waist to stay close to the ground, Han started to inch his way across the clearing to the fire pit. When he was close enough, he dipped the end of the branch into the flames and twirled it around a bit until it was completely ablaze. Only then, did he stand up to his full height.

"HEY!" he called angrily at the creatures. "Leave 'em alone!" He took several steps forward, brandishing the torch in front of him and waving it back and forth wildly in an attempt to scare them off.

The burning pain was the first thing to feel, followed by the injection needle and then the realisation of having passed out. Immediately Lorn drew the force in, like having a deep breath. Trying to strengthen himself, just to keep his body from collapsing once more. They were dragging him. They were moving. Good. The ambush area had been an obvious death trap. Looking up he saw the Twi´lek and Cece. Good, they were still aliver. The Count. Anora. No Doctor, no boy. But he felt not the amount of grief coming from Anora that her boy could have died. Only fear and anxiety.

"Stop it." He finally forced out and he pushed those who had helped him away. "Stop it." He repeated and coughed out, the pain was incredible hard to endure, but the force would hopefully allow him to dampen it a bit. At least until he could give in to it.

Looking into the thick of the jungle around him he reached out with the force and this time all he was looking for was one thing.

Cece's head whipped around at the source of the voice. Lorn!! He was speaking. She stopped, pausing not sure what he was saying stop it to. Lorn then suddenly pushed both the twi'lek girl Liza and her away from him. What the?!?!...

"Stop it." He repeated and coughed out.

Cece froze, wondering if Lorn was picking something up, that they had not. But right now, she was just happy to hear his voice! She didnt know how long it might last, but she was happy none the less. She brought up her weapon, when she noticed him staring into the jungle.

Had the hunters come back? Cece tried to scan the jungle like Lorn...but she only saw the thick jungle all around them. She waited next to him, as he scanned the area. Cece tried her best to focus on the area around them, as she waited to see if Lorn was sensing something. She knew he had to hurt. And that he might still die on them. But he was here now, and thats all that mattered at the moment. It might be selfish. But she wasnt ready for him to die just yet.

The Group stopped and waited for Lorn to proclaim whatever had made him stop. But the Dark Jedi just looked into the forest and kept silent for a moment. Cece imitating him only lead to a lot of leaves. For Lorn though there was something else, something else entirely out there. Anger, frustration, dedication and the urge to kill. The Mandalorian´s had suffered losses, they had been surprised by the Jedi. Easy prey it had been so far and now this. But playtime was over. That was the thought that went through them. All nine of them. Thy split. Split into two groups, getting into their new positions. Three ahead of the group, trying to cut of the way to the well-secured resting place of last light. The Mandalorian´s had already waited a night until they attacked, they did not intend to allow their prey to regain the advantage again. Six, the bulk of the group reassembled behind, soon ready to follow them, catch up with them and push them towards group one.

I am amazed by the evil you have inside of you, Cece. Just so you can uphold your ideas, you sacrifice Lorn?

The voice was now more serious, more anxious than when it had belonged to the fake Jovan, but the intonation, the way it spoke was definitively it.

I am a lot of things, but we both know I did not lie and we both know I could have kept my part of the bargain. The ship, the medbay. It is there, not even far away from your present location. It is the only place Lorn can be saved, the only place he will not die for your sins . . . what would he say, if he knew these men are hunting you, hm? You little liar kept that from him, just like you kept Zelia from the others. But then you call me . . . oh Celia, Celia, bad little girl.

The Count went to Lorn and sighed. Looking at the wound he put his hand on the Jediß´s shoulder. “We cannot rest.” That was all he said.

And all of that because of Elois? Because of Elois Labal? He only told you a third of his story, my dear Celia. Even I knew not everything until yesterday night, when I finally took him and made him mine.

Lisa looked around, too. But finally kept close to Cece. Looking a bit concerned into the girls direction, as the voice kept on talking in her head. No way to shut it out, no way to get rid of it.

Let us see him make his sacrifice then, shall we? I never trusted Lorn anyway.

Then Lorn felt, how the hunting party of six began to move. They came their way, quicker, silent, deadly intend radiating into the force.

"If you wanna have a cchance you have to leave me behind." He cdoughed out and had the feeling his mouth filled with blood. He ignored the signs for now, he needed not a lot of time and the force was a powerful ally. It would sustain him a little longer, he was sure of that. "Ahead of you three of them will intercept you. Behind you another six crawl up." Lorn gave Anora a wicked and dry smile. "You can deal with the three? Because I think I can handle the six behind us." Then he looked at Cece, the Count, Lisa. All not trained warriors. But Anora had killed before, Lorn could smell it, see it the way she carried herself. A murderer among murderers, asked by the worst of the lot, if she could kill another three of her kind?

It was familiar. It was all so familiar. A life without living. A life feeded by death.

Here, in this cauldron Lorn had been born and it broke his heart to see, frozen, travelled through time and trying to be another man, the cauldron of death never catched up to him. It was inside of him. It had always been there, awaiting the right moment ot announce it´s presence.

"I make sure the six don´t follow you. I´d say you take care of the three and then get the hell out of this valley, as soon as you have found your kid. Somewhere with a bit more room inthe flanks. Because I am afraid we haven´t seen the worst things yet. Get somewhere safe and prepare to stay there for a while."

Anora immediately understood the plan, also the others might need a moment longer. She did not object. He was a Jedi, he was dying, he was their best chances for survival. And if anybody was all about noble sacrifice it was a Jedi, right?

"Do you need anything?" Anora asked and stepped to him, giving him a look that probably hsowed him how grateful she was.

The group had stopped. Cece was trying to concentrate, but all she could see was the leaves that surrounded them in the jungle. Nothing moving. No grand words of wisdom. Or insights of what was out there. She was trying her best to stay calm. Her earlier frustrations had done nothing for her. Maybe, calm would. So she tried to relax....
Of course, that was when IT decided to creep its way in her mind.

//I am amazed by the evil you have inside of you, Cece. Just so you can uphold your ideas, you sacrifice Lorn?//

POODOO!!

Cece suddenly sat straight up, the buzz of the conversation around her seeming to fall away. She continued to look into the woods, but her eyes were wide. 'Evil? She? What was he talking about?!?!?! No!.. no, Im..I'm not....' she thought to herself.

The voice was now more serious, more anxious. She could tell that it was IT. But something was strange about the way it was talking to her now. Like, maybe it was in a hurry or something...

// I am a lot of things, but we both know I did not lie and we both know I could have kept my part of the bargain. The ship, the medbay. It is there, not even far away from your present location. It is the only place Lorn can be saved, the only place he will not die for your sins . . . what would he say, if he knew these men are hunting you, hm? You little liar kept that from him, just like you kept Zelia from the others. But then you call me . . . oh Celia, Celia, bad little girl.//

No. That was not true. Cece shook her head slightly. No. we DONT know that you wouldnt lie. And 'I DIDNT CALL YOU!!!' Cece thought furiously to herself. But his words stung. Were ALL these guys hunting her? That didnt make sense. Why would HE send 12 mercs to come looking for a one kid. One who didnt have anything on her!! Or him for that matter? The guy was a sicko, but this was overkill in the extreme. This didnt make sense at all! Something was wrong here, that she was not seeing. Cece started to shake once more. Were...were they tracking her? But how?...if that was true... She vaguely realized the thing called her by her real name. Cece sensed the Twi'lek someplace close.

The Count went to Lorn and sighed. “We cannot rest.” That was all he said. Lorn spoke then. "If you wanna have a chance, you have to leave me behind." Cece felt her heart leap. No! The voice she could not get away from, kept talking. Talking over what the others were saying..

//And all of that because of Elois? Because of Elois Labal? He only told you a third of his story, my dear Celia. Even I knew not everything until yesterday night, when I finally took him and made him mine.//

'SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!' Cece thought furiously in her mind, as she tried to steady her breathing.

//Let us see him make his sacrifice then, shall we? I never trusted Lorn anyway.//

Lorn was busy speaking to the others now. "I make sure the six don´t follow you. I´d say you take care of the three and then get the hell out of this valley, as soon as you have found your kid. Somewhere with a bit more room in the flanks. Because I am afraid we haven´t seen the worst things yet. Get somewhere safe and prepare to stay there for a while." "Do you need anything?" Anora asked and stepped to him.

'Trust Lorn?!?! Sacrifice? What to I do?! What was true? What was a lie? Is it my fault? Elois said it would try to trick me. So it could be lying. It was all so confusing. From IT'S statement, he was about to try something. What if it was all a lie?' Then why did it sound worried?

In Cece's mind, the world seemed to grind to a slow halt. What to do? There wasnt much time. What could she do..? Suddenly, the words just seemed to flow.

"IT's here." Cece said simply, her voice flat as she started out into the woods. "Mr. Creepy is talking to me now." Cece stated, not looking at anyone. "I... " Cece was used to doing almost anything to survive, short of killing anyone. But if she WAS the cause.... As a loner, and a slicer, secrets were the name of the game. They kept you alive sometimes. But now... Celia gave a long sigh.

"I think they might be after me. I think ... maybe. But if they are, then they might be tracking me somehow. I dont know. But if that's true, then I cant follow you. IT ... dosent like Force Uses. Fears them. Probably only thing that can stop it." Cece picks up speed on her talking. "Aint too fond of me at the moment either." Cece gives a dry snort. "IT claims there is a wrecked ship nearby, with a med-bay. Someplace close. And there is another Force Users running around. A woman. Kinda crazy." Cece gives a smile then. "Creepy alien knows about her. Just like he knew about Lorn."

Cece rocked on her toes. "The light I saw when we first crashed... if you can believe a ghost, supposedly leads to a temple. A guarded temple. But might be something inside to make it possible to escape. I.. I dont know anymore .. and I cant block IT. Its sounds nervous.. I think."

Cece turns her head slightly, and looks at Lorn. She points down. "You think that last canister might be useful to cut down the odds?" she asked him, before turning her head, and looking back into the jungle once more.

Anora grew angry, nervous and finally she simply paid attention as the girl lay out all she knew and had been revealed. With a sigh she finally stepped to her. Ships, temples. All of that would not help them getting through this day.

"They are not after you. Maybe they are here because of you, but they are after all of us. I think they plan to leave no witnesses of their involvment behind. They killed everybody aboard the ship and now they will kill those who got out. Maybe they want to capture you, maybe they kill you. But they have no plan to leave any of us alive." Looking to Lorn she realized this was the moment of truth. She spoke now or kept her mouth shut. "If you buy us time, I can bring them all to safety. I got a few allies who made it out of the wreck alive. I was in contact with them and they got more weapons and more people than the hunters. If we reach them, things will get worse for our hunter friends. They might also be able to help me finding my son."

Anora almost felt lime embracing Lorn for what he offered. It was brave and very stupid. The Dark Jedi was throwing away what little life had been left.

"We won´t find the ship and we can´t trust Mr. Creep . . . so making a run to my allies might be our best chance." She gave everybody a testing look. Cece, Lorn, the Count and finally Lisa.

At least Anora had revealed her allies. She had been too long away the last evening to not hide a secret. Allies. It could have been a worse secret, though.

"Agreed."

Whoever these allies were, they were not the childish bunch of conflicting interests these guys had turned out to be. They needed someone organised, someone able to bring people into the flock if he needed to.

"I will buy you time, I will buy you all the time you need. Will you gimme a minute with Cece before theyou depart? Only a minute, we won´t have any more than that, I am afraid." Lorn sighed and watched the others nod and slowly distance themselves from them. Finally he turned to the young girl and forced a smile through all this pain.

"This is goodbye then, is it?" He lay his head aside and looked down on the lightsaber she had brought him.

"I wished I would have had a bit more time to be honest. Just a bit."

Tag: Ktala, (thanks for Myr and Sir for giving me the permission to godmod them out of the scene)

ooc: So, this episode and therefore Season One will end in ten days.
Because of a lack of activity there will be a bit of rearrangement around Camp Two. I am godmodding all parties there a bit, but I felt it was the best for the game, really.

The BeastsCamp Two

They did turn to Solo and they did back away from the fire. But the plan worked only for a second, before there were more, speeding forward, their jaws opening and closing in snapping sounds. It became a blur of motions and deadly attacks and whoever was still able to run did just that.

Han still had the helmet attached to his belt, although he had left the rest of the armor behind, when he stopped to run. He was in the jungle and heard hungry sounds of the beasts behind him. He had done his best, but had any of them survived this attack? It was almost impossible to say. Then the sounds faded away and after a few steps it was almost impossible to predict where they had even come from. In the early days sun lay a jungle and in a jungle all trees looked alike.

But inside the helmet there was a silent “bling” that lead to the target location. A simple yet effective guiding system included to guide stupid Stormtroopers to wherever they were meant to be . . .

OOC: I had a great post. Bloody computer reset itself! Lost it all!!!! ARRRGGGHHH!!!!!
*sigh*

Cece - CeliaJungle

Cece stared at a spot on the ground. She barely noticed when the woman called Anora moved, stepping up near her. Cece tried to prepare herself for any type of response. But she felt as if every emotion she had since crashing on this tri-cursed planet, was crashing over her. She put her hands down to her sides, and tried very hard not to tremble, when the woman spoke up.

"They are not after you. Maybe they are here because of you, but they are after all of us. I think they plan to leave no witnesses of their involvement behind. They killed everybody aboard the ship and now they will kill those who got out. Maybe they want to capture you, maybe they kill you. But they have no plan to leave any of us alive."

Cece slowly nodded. Yeah, that truth had slapped her in the face, when she had come across those poor people from that other pod.

Anora spoke again, but this time, she wasnt speaking to Cece. "If you buy us time, I can bring them all to safety. I got a few allies who made it out of the wreck alive. I was in contact with them and they got more weapons and more people than the hunters. If we reach them, things will get worse for our hunter friends. They might also be able to help me finding my son."

Allies? Here? What allies were still here? Cece didnt care. Her only friend left to her was leaving her. She would be alone once more. She didnt want him to leave. But she couldnt stop it. She coudlnt do anything...

"We won´t find the ship and we can´t trust Mr. Creep . . . so making a run to my allies might be our best chance." A long pause before Anora added... "Agreed?" Cece didnt look up again, until she heard Lorn say the words she didnt want him to say. "Agreed."

Cece simply nodded. She didnt...couldnt trust her voice. She squeezed her fists so tight, they began to tingle. It was Lorn's voice she heard next. "I will buy you time, I will buy you all the time you need. Will you gimme a minute with Cece before the you depart? Only a minute, we won´t have any more than that, I am afraid." Lorn sighed as Cece brought her head up to look at him. She saw him giving her a small, and her eyes started to water. 'NO!' she thought to herself. It was not fair. What good is this Force stuff, and you cant use it to save anyone?

"This is goodbye then, is it?" Lorn looked down a bit, towards his light weapon. "I wished I would have had a bit more time to be honest. Just a bit." Cece quickly stepped up close to him. "Me too." she added softly, not knowing what to say. Her next words came out rapidly now, as she knew she had little time. "I dont want Mr. Creepy to take you, like he did that other ghost. Cant you heal yourself?" she asked him..thought she already knew the answer to that question. If he had the time, he might be able to. But he was going to hold off 6 warriors. And he was already badly injured. Celia suddenly gave Lorn a fierce hug.

"I dont want you to die!" she muttered into his body, not really caring if he heard her or not. She had to say it.

Cece suddenly stepped back away from him, looking down at the ground. Was she being selfish? No. She was scared. Scared for him. Scared for him dying. Scared for so many things she coudlnt even begin to name and describe. She had been hoping to find him. Searching for him. Now to find him, only to have him die..again. She then looked up at him, and did her best to offer him a smile.

"My name is Celia, by the way..." she added softly, doing her best to put on her brave face.

He was at first surprised by the embrace and his first reaction was to hiss in air, as the girl pressed against the burning wound. But then he had no other choice but to gently stroke her hair. He waited a moment, before she slowly parted from her. His hand stroked her face once, wiping away any upcoming tears and dirt and then he returned her sad smile. It took a lot of strength to do so. “Lorn of Lorsai, but I would prefer . . . if you remember me as Lorn.” With another heavy sigh he released some of his pain and looked at the others. What could he say? He had never parted with anyone, never had felt the need to say anything when leaving. “Celia, listen. I died a long time ago. I have no idea what allowed me to return to this place and to have those few days, but I was living on borrowed time, Celia. And whatever it will do to me, I deserve it a thousand times. Believe me. Yet, I had the chance to life these last few days as . . . a better man. That is a great gift.” He picked up his lightsaber from his belt turned halfway to the jungle and away from Cece. Then he stopped and turned his head aside. He had to smile about himself. A thought had crossed his mind. A sentence his long dead Master said in a different century and a different galaxy. Yet, it was still so terribly true.

“My Master once told me that we all have to die. The question is only for what.” He smirked a last time and then looked to Cece.

“I am quite happy with my choice.”

With that he turned to leave them behind and vanish into the jungle, to face death in one of his many, many possible forms. Death old friend. Finally I shall feel your cold embrace.

She felt Lorn as he stroked her hair. She didnt say anything, but pulled back away from him. His hand was gentle on her face, wiping away her tears. Normally, she would have chided herself on crying..shedding tears. Not this time. Not now. Lorn spoke to her.

“Lorn of Lorsai, but I would prefer . . . if you remember me as Lorn.” She gave him a slow nod. She knew his name. But to her, he was Lorn. And would always be Lorn.

He then looked down at her. “Celia, listen. I died a long time ago. I have no idea what allowed me to return to this place and to have those few days, but I was living on borrowed time, Celia. And whatever it will do to me, I deserve it a thousand times. Believe me. Yet, I had the chance to life these last few days as . . . a better man. That is a great gift.”

She was confused, but she listened intently. He had died? Like Elios? How was that possible? Then again, he didnt know either. The weird alien? Maybe. It no longer mattered. But the fact that if he had been something else, and the little time they had spent together had changed that.. then maybe it was a bit of good that came from it after all. She looked up at him, bright eyed.

“My Master once told me that we all have to die. The question is only for what.” He smirked and then looked at her.“I am quite happy with my choice.” With that he turned to leave them, moving away.

"Goodbye, Lorn." Cece whispered to him, She stayed, only long enough to watch him vanish into the jungle, then Cece also turned and ran, moving to follow the others where they had gone. She didnt look up at them, keeping her eyes down. She just simply moved. If Lorn was going to sacrifice himself, she was going to make sure it wasnt for nothing. Her fingers gripped her weapon. Lorns last words, echoing through her mind.

It was funny how things rarely went according to plan - it was something he should have considered before jumping into the fray with little to no thought other than to wave a flaming stick in the air and hope these creatures got spooked. While their initial reaction was to scatter, the odds quickly turned against him. They were creatures of their domain and they quickly regrouped with reinforcements. Chaos erupted soon after and it now became a fight for survival. Han wasn't about to stand around and wait to be ripped to shreds by these things. He ran...and so did everyone else.

The only problem was, everyone ran in different directions and it soon became abundantly clear that he was all alone in the jungle with a group of man-eating monsters stampeding behind him. There was no going back and he had no other choice but to run faster and hope that his luck held out. Unfortunately for the creatures, their size was a major hindrance in a dense jungle full of vines and underbrush and Han was able to outmaneuver them and lose them after several tense minutes.

Confident that the creatures had given up for good, Han slowed to a stop and bent over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath. His pulse was pounding in his ears and his face stung where vines and branches had snapped back and hit him in his flight, but at least he was safe. Of course, he couldn't speak for the others. He should probably go back to find them, especially Eliza, but one look back in the direction he had come quickly changed his mind. It would be pointless to try and navigate that labyrinth by himself. He had lost all sense of direction when he ran and it had left him disoriented and alone. He cursed under his breath and ran a hand over his face. There was little chance he would find the others now...unless he could get help.

And that's when the stormtrooper helmet dangling from his belt decided to ping. He glanced down slowly and turned it over with his hands to look at the interior. The tracking system built into the helmet had activated and it was showing him the way to the coordinates of the rendezvous point.

Han smiled dumbly and started walking. Apparently, his luck hadn't run out yet.

The needle slidedc into the boys neck as gently as it was possible to penetrate a fragile human skin. And with a constant push of his thumb he injected the medicine, making sure the boy would not scream, or resist in what he planned to do next. The boy would sleep, sleep until it was all over. For him. Zerr would survive once more and survival always came at a cost. Part of the prize had always been, nothing was ever really over. Every tragedy was preserved a bit, because at least once witness remained. Him.

The Vasa, the later works, genetics, clones . . . he had caused infinite tragedy, but when IT commanded him to kill he kept his cool. They had done a lot to him, the tyrants of the galaxy. Made him a slave, a puppet, a hypocrat, liar and traitor. But a murderer he was not. And that was something he would not give them.

They Mandalorian would pass and with him the danger. They moved away, so Zerr would be free to make a run to IT. To deliver the boy and receive the prize . . . survival. Nothing more but continued survival.

Was it worth an innocent child’s life?

Dammit, there was the conscience. Something not too useful if you planned to save your skin by committing an unspeakable crime. Once the Mandalorian would be gone, he would start running. Not because he thought anybody was after him, but simply because this diffuse feeling crept up inside of him . . . that he was running out of time.

ooc: Okay, that is it for me. My final post. I have written a lot more, a long and heartbreaking scene with TSG to be precise, but as SirakRomar told us it´s too early for that scene to happen, I´ll leave it in the very capable hands of TSG to develop it into combined posts and post them when the time has come. I will try to get online for a few comments on the finale and a final post before hiatus, probably. But maybe I won´t manage to do so.

So anyway and to all of you, thanks for the time and what a great game this one is! I hope some day the Doctor returns and this game will see many, many more seasons.